I had a couple of experiences today that I think you can identify with. One of them concerned a book in the mail. I wanted to just send it back to the company who sent it, but then I was surprised when I was charged more than $15 to send it back. Feeling a little cheated, I began to look through my mail only to find a letter from Revenue Canada requesting more information about something I had applied for. More red - tape. On top of all of this, there has been a cold wind blowing all day! It's one of those days that you wish you could just close the door and shut the world out. Unfortunately that is not possible to do, and so we have to walk into the little storms that come our way.
One of the things we are prone to do in those times is to quickly make a decision about what to do about our storm. Someone once wrote that we should not make a decision in a storm that you wouldn't make in calm weather. Storms have a way of distorting our judgment, we get bounced around. Our perspective gets distorted and things get out of whack. Can we trust our instinct in a storm? The Bible says we can't. Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but it ends in the way of death." When we face storms we need the perspective of someone else. Someone unaffected by storms. Now is that possible? After all, most people we know have storms of one kind or another. But there is someone who is not bothered by storms and that is God. In fact, He is the master over storms, including yours and mine. And so, when we face a storm He invites us to seek Him out. James 1:5 says, "If any of you, needs wisdom, you should ask God for it." Do you have doubts? God won't turn you away. How about reservations? God won't send you home empty handed. How about struggles to make sense of it all? God will not avoid you. No, God never turns away a sincere heart. Tough questions don't stump God. God never turns away an honest seeker. And so, never wonder if it is okay to go to God with your questions in the middle of a storm. You may not be able to come up with the answer you need, but when you come to God in your storm, you come to the one who has answers. Good answers... right answers... 'just when you need to know' answers. Genesis 18:14 asks the question, "Is anything too hard for the Lord? No!"
And so, when your little or big storms come up and seem to bump you around, hang in there. Don't give up! Is your situation too hard for God? No. If you will trust Him with all your heart, just when you least suspect it - God will surprise you. God does that for the faithful, and for those who are trying to be. Sometimes our faith seems pretty small, but often God just asks us to give Him what we have. Don't give up! Is the road long? Don't stop. Is the night getting black? Don't quit. God is watching. For all you know, the answer you need may be just around the corner. Don't quit. You may miss the answer to your prayers. God is faithful and He is always on time. I encourage you to trust Him with your life, with your storm, leave it with Him and trust Him to show up at the right time to bring calm to your storm.
